Living well in the urban village

Ten More Sleeps

I’ve been crawling out of bed at 5am to temper chocolate before the Sydney temps climb too high (max of 38ºC today)…

I’ve had my hair cut short and my new Christmas sunnies have arrived from Zenni. Pete just rolls his eyes – I tend to lose my mind with excitement at this time of year! Four months of daily walks have given me a respectable summer tan…

I baked the first batch of Christmas cookies on the weekend, but Pete and the boys have already scoffed half of them, so I’m going to have to bake some more…

Yesterday we visited Ian and Diana to pick up our annual garlic supply…

While we were there, Ian proudly showed us his new Flow Hive – this brilliant new Australian invention makes beekeeping accessible to the ordinary home gardener and allows the honey to be extracted without disturbing the bees…

Our lovely friends sent us home with a taster jar of honey…

…and the headsup on a sublime local gin (distilled right here in Sydney)…

It only seemed right to combine the two into a cocktail. Here’s my early Christmas gift to you – the Bee’s Knees cocktail comes from the 1920s and this recipe from The Telegraph is simply grand…

50ml gin

15ml lemon juice

10ml good, runny honey (use the best you can find)

5ml water

Stir the honey and water together to dissolve, then add it to a cocktail shaker with the gin, lemon juice and a few ice cubes. Shake, strain into a glass, and drink. Repeat.

I hope you’re all enjoying the silly season as much as I am! Let me end with a Muppets clip for you! ♥

The Flow Hive looks amazing. I will be forwarding it to some beekeepers I know! Wonder if it would work in a colder climate as well. Your chocolate looks delicious.
I’ve been busy baking cookies as well. Sounds like you are getting excited! Have fun with your holiday preparations.

Wonderfully festive but I’ll stick to tonic and lemon in my gin. A Muppet Christmas carol is one of my favourite movie. Thanks for the clip. If you are doing anymore chocolate tempering can I come and watch? Where is best place to get the right thermometer and starter chocolate block?

Excitement is building here too, though sadly it is cold with little chance of snow. All of your productivity is amazing, and your new bunnies and earrings are fabulous.
Enjoy everything, particularly those cocktails. Chin chin!

I adore those earrings! Just love them! Have a gorgeous last 10 days. It is only the 14th here so we have eleven days to go! But NINE sleeps until I (weather willing) get on the plane to go see my son for Christmas. Your baking looks marvellous! c

Obviously we don’t have to deal with the heat here, it’s actually nice for once to warm up,with the oven on and not feel like I’m going to faint in the heat. I baked cookies last night while all the guys were gone and froze them or they would never last!

Love your new ‘do’ and your glasses………..we on the other hand are at -18C in the morning!! It is winter……..still walking with the doggers and will be making a Black Bun next week and rye raisin loves for dtr to take home with her. Those trees (chocolate) are AMAZING! so much going on at your house…enjoy!

Even though I’ve been ‘friends’ with my peeps from down under for years, I still have a difficult time getting summer at Christmas. I’m loving the way you approach it though, before the heat of the day!
My dear Dad was good friends with Jim, he even asked my Dad to move to NYC and my Dad declined. Jim always asked my Dad to work with him every time he was in Toronto. He even gave my brother credit on Follow the Bird, filmed in Toronto, the year after my Dad passed! My brother was just an extra. Love those muppets!